General Specifications: The Washington County is seeking proposals for a software to manage CARES Act grant accounting and federal grant guideline compliance.

Requirement:  Bidders must comply with the following requirements to be considered for the evaluation and award process:

1. Bidders must quote 100% of all items within each category; and
2. Bidders must list brand names on the items bid.

Information:  For additional information, bidders shall direct inquiries to the Washington County Purchasing Office. 

Time Schedule: 
RFP posted on County website and legal notice published, March 18, 2021
RFP requests for interpretations to be submitted by 2:00PM on Tuesday, March 23, 2021
RFP due at 4:00 PM, Monday, March 29, 2021
RFP opened at 10:00 AM, Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Download Bid Packet

Addendum 1

Washington County Website Bid Information


For Courthouse Bid Packet Drop-Off:
Clearly Write "RFP 2021-02 Software for CARES Rental Assistance" on the outside of the sealed package
Come to the Courthouse entry door and wait for Security
Tell them that you have a bid to drop-off for Purchasing
Leave the Bid with Purchasing on 5th Floor

Additional Notes/Requirements

Washington County is seeking proposals for software to comply with CARES Act rental assistance program Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No 116-260 (Dec. 27, 2020). The scope of services sought must include an all-inclusive case management service consistent with the terms hereafter. In order to expedite processing of grant and sub-grant awards, maintain accounting records, and meet Federal Grant guidelines the software shall include: 10.1 Software Licenses: In order to prevent any future loss of support, respondents shall provide a perpetual software license agreement without sale/assignments. 10.2 Software Support and Maintenance Fees: The annual software support and maintenance fees shall not exceed twenty percent of the total software cost and not increase greater than three percent annually. 10.3 Upgrades: As long as the annual maintenance and license agreement is continued and paid annually, by the county, there will be no additional expense to the county for software updates or upgrades. The awarded software vendor will assist the county in installing these improvements at no extra cost. 10.4 Training: Respondents must provide training to verify that the end-user comprehends how to operate all of the modules. An all-inclusive electronic training manual shall be provided to all County End-users, if applicable. 10.5 Identical Software Testing Site: Respondents shall provide an identical, up to date, test site for general usage, updates, and corrections. 10.6 Invoice Milestone Payments: Invoice payments will be issued according to the following milestone progression: A. 25% upon Contract award and Signature; and, B. 25% upon installation; and, C. 30% upon go live with full implementation and beta functionality; and, D. 20% Final payment 8 months after implementation & proven performance. 1. All modules are actively being utilized. 2. All required training has been successfully performed. 3. Software is functioning as proposed. 10.7 Testing of Product: Sometime during the interview process, the respondent shall provide a virtual replica of the software, provided in this proposal, for testing, question, and answer sessions. This replica shall have the ability to allow various end-users to test simultaneously. The respondent shall offer an end-user trainer during this portion of the interview process. All testing, examples of product and interviews will be recorded. The County will sign non- disclosure agreements to ensure the security of the information being provided. 10.8 Standard Software Features shall include: A. A platform for an applicant to apply for rental assistance that includes: 1. Rental assistance application processing abilities with multi-language forms that are compliant with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act); 2. Remote COVID safe electronic processing; 3. Payment processing for landlords and participants; 4. Financial reporting and tracking of all transactions; 5. Compliance with all Federal and Arkansas (State) audit financial guidelines; 6. Tracking and monitoring of applicant household status, information, and eligibility for assistance including: i. Application Details, ii. Participant Demographics, iii. Name, iv. Address, v. Phone, vi. Electronic messages (Email), vii. Income details, viii. Application verification support documents ix. Application status, x. Applicant grant money limits, xi. Reason for ineligibility, and xii. System overrides with notes field; 7. Phone text and/or Email notices to the applicant of status updates or changes concerning each step of the assistance application process including payment, approved amounts, and reason for indelibility; 8. Phone text and/or Email notices to the County staff for pending tasks that are needed for the completing the application process; 9. Phone text and/or Email notices to landlords of application status updates or changes concerning each step of the application process, once an assistance application has been completed by tenants including payment, approved amounts, and reason for indelibility; B. Electronic document attaching capabilities, including: 1. PDF (portable document format) attachments from personal computer and other electronic devices; and, 2. Scanning from desktop; and, 3. Ability to search, attach, browse, and upload required application documentation. C. A secure user login; D. Reports and report writing ability for County processing of accounting functions, required Federal and State forms and financial reports, and application tracking; E. Ability to extract reports and information to Microsoft Excel; F. Tracking and payment history for all disbursements, deposits, fees, and payments; G. Role base permission for all users; and H. On premises or hosted software will be considered. 10.9 IT (Information Technologies) Approval of System Requirements: The Washington County IT Department will review and approve all software system requirements. A. If interface with County email system is required: Must be compatible with Exchange 13; B. If solution is on premises: must be compatible with Winders server and Microsoft SQL 2016; and C. Desktop requirements: Windows 10. 10.10 Case Management Services: In order to provide all-inclusive turn-key services to Washington County, the respondent shall provide the following services concurrently with the rendering of the software: A. Provide a designated individual(s) that: 1. Reviews all submitted applications to verify their completeness, accuracy, and eligibility to receive approved payment according to the Act’s guidelines and the County’s rules for prioritization; 2. Authorizes and disburses payment to eligible applicants; 3. Confirms receipt of payment to the applicant; and 4. Tracks the status and disposition of all completed applications, including appeals for payment, and reports that information upon request of the County. B. Provide a system that cross-checks applicant’s receipt of other housing benefits to prevent duplicative payments. C. Implement strict fraud prevention measures to ensure an equitable distribution of the ERA funds. D. Provide a compliance reporting system that satisfies all ERA program-related reporting requirements imposed by the State or US Department of Treasury or other federal authorities. E. Assist the County in ensuring compliance with auditing requirements imposed by Arkansas Legislative Audit and the U.S. Department of Treasury or other federal authorities. F. Providing a system to accept and process electronic and paper applications, including call center support and other customer assistance functions, and the ability to track and match tenants with landlords even when both apply for the same housing unit. G. Audit compliance, to ensure that all audit requirements imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Arkansas Legislative Audit are met, including without limitation storage and production of all necessary documentation and information for audits of the State’s implementation by State and federal authorities. H. A real time dashboard that tracks the progress of applications and payments, including the names of the landlords and the total amounts they have received. I. Providing support to Washington County in the form of live in-person testimony to the Quorum Court if requested, as well as providing assistance to Washington County in the form of data and draft responses to legislative inquires. J. Compliance with all applicable State and federal laws, including section 501 of Division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No. 116-260 (Dec. 27, 2020).